When it comes to having their official documents translated for governments and institutions - birth certificates for citizenship or immigration visas, transcripts for university admission and so on - one of the biggest hurdles my clients have to overcome is finding an eligible translator. While meeting these organization’s requirements is the client's responsibility, I also see it as my responsibility as the translator, because if I know the requireme...

Just a quickie this month, as the dust settles after a flooding/stampede/birthday extravaganza round our house. (That will mean little to those of you who aren't members of my family or residents of Calgary, but suffice to say it's been non-stop around here since the end of June).
In my last post I mentioned a number of online resources I use for work when I'm away from the "office". I actually use many of them when I'm "in the office" too, as a complem...

Back at the start of the year I was living in temporary rented accommodation for two months. I was still working but had to leave my computer, desk, chair, reference books and other office paraphernalia at home. So how to recreate a suitable work environment quickly and easily in a new spot?
First, pick a location. Our rented apartment had a living room, kitchen/dining area, two bedrooms and two bathrooms. One of the bedrooms actually had a desk area se...

Okay, so in this second part of my translated fiction post, I will be looking at what publishers, agents and translators can do to bring foreign fiction to us English-speaking readers. Let's hope it's something, because things weren't looking too good in part 1!
So, publishers. They are tricky because they are to be credited with publishing all the translations that are out there, but at the same time they are largely responsible for the lack of transla

Back in November 2011, I wrote about the popularity of translations in English. In my next two posts, I'll look in greater depth into whether they really are unpopular, and what can be done to increase the number of translations published in English. So...
Where is all the translated fiction? Well, the short answer is, it's in non-English-speaking countries!
I've been reading a lot recently about the dearth of translated fiction in English-speaking c